


Happiest Place

by lollercakes



Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Disney World & Disneyland, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Disney
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21956842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lollercakes/pseuds/lollercakes
Summary: A little bit of Disney magic for Anne and Gilbert.For katia-dreamer on Tumblr for the Kindred Spirits Secret Santa.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katia-dreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=katia-dreamer).



“Miss! Miss, your scarf!” A voice calls out from behind me, twisting me around on my feet and nearly sending me toppling over as the man’s frame crashes into me. I gasp and not just from the impact, my tongue frozen in my mouth as I look up at hazel eyes, a rampant head of dark hair and a jaw that’s angled just - “You dropped this, I think,” he says, interrupting my train of thought. I sputter, wildly trying to form sentences as my face reddens to match my hair, hands tightening on where I've gripped his lapels. 

“Anne - we’re going to miss our plane!” Diana Barry calls from behind me, the shot of panic jolting through me as I remember why I'd been running in the first place. A departing plane, final boarding call, once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

“Thanks! Bye!” I squeak, releasing his coat before stepping back and almost tripping over my carry-on. 

“No problem, Anne - ?” He attempts and I nod because it’s all I can do as I look up at him and his cocksure grin. “Not even going to give me a name then?” 

“Anne!” Diana calls more insistently, her sandals clapping against the cement floor as she approaches at a quick clip. 

“Sorry - I’m late,” I respond and turn to face my friend, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “Sorry Diana, I dropped my…” I swallow thickly as I look back at my empty hands, my hasty departure making me forget why I’d even stopped in the first place. 

“Missing something, Carrots?” He chides, holding out my scarf. The nickname makes my shackles rise and I grab for the fabric, yanking it out of his hand and spinning on my heel to sprint towards the gate.


	2. Chapter 2

“Anne, I love you but my feet are about ready to fall off. Can we go back and have a siesta at the pool now?” Diana groans, looking towards me pleadingly. 

“Yes. We will. I just want to ride the Little Mermaid ride one more - “ 

“Anne, please. It will be here the rest of the week! We’ve been here for almost six hours! Let’s go back, relax, enjoy the afternoon and then we’ll come back for the fireworks!” Diana insists and grabs my arm to pull us up short. I sigh, looking at the bridge towards Fantasyland and then the castle to my left. 

We had five days to spend at Disneyworld and I didn’t want to miss a thing but Diana was right. We’d been walking for hours and though I’d never admit it, my feet hurt too and I could definitely use a few hours away from the crowds and strollers that seemed to multiply like they were under a spell. It was just… The magic was entrancing and I was hooked, never wanting to leave this place. 

“Pool. Drinks. Fireworks,” Diana urges, breaking me from my revery. 

“Alright. Pool. Drinks. Fireworks. Lead the way, dearest Di,” I relent, motioning down Main Street and letting Diana drag me out of the front gates of the park and towards the bus corrales. 

Back at the resort I find myself lathering on the sunscreen, pulling on a sunshirt to hide my pale, freckled skin from the sun I'm about to cook myself under. I couldn’t wait - back home it was winter and though it was beautiful with the snow on the branches and the twinkle of the light at night, there was something about sleeping in the sun that made my soul feel healed and light. 

Down by the pool’s edge, I set my things on a chaise and follow Diana into the water. We talk about nothing and everything all at once, exclaiming about the first day in the park and the wonder that had poured out of us as we walked up Main Street to see the castle and the magic for that first time. 

“And the food! Diana, I have never had anything as delightfully scrumptious as those tater tots with the blue cheese. It was otherworldly,” I say with a sigh, drifting back in the water and looking up at the sky overhead. I was content. Utterly, impossibly content. 

“To think, it’s only day one,” Diana affirms as she floats nearby. 

We slip into a comfortable silence as we move around the pool, swimming for a few hours before climbing out and laying in the hot sun. 

“Carrots, is that you?” The familiar voice says from overhead, causing me to crack an eye open as I look up at the shadow blocking my light. His curls in the sun give him away and I groan, flipping my book up to turn my attention back to the pages. “What? Not even going to say hello?” 

“I’m not talking to you,” I reply, looking towards where Diana is standing at the bar ordering drinks and unable to save me from this awkward moment. 

“Alright then. I just thought it would be interesting to note how Providential it seems to be finding you here, but if you’re not interested, I’ll leave you be.” 

The man from the airport stands above me for another drawn out moment before sighing and turning to head back to his side of the pool. I watch him go out of the corner of my eye, finally exhaling as he settles down beside a man and a toddler who he must be travelling with. 

“Who was that?” Diana says as she sets down a drink beside me, eyes bright and brows lifted in question. 

“The guy who found my scarf at the airport, I think,” I lament, reaching for the drink as Diana eyes me suspiciously. I was going to need the alcohol if we were going to have to share a resort for the whole week, that I was pretty sure of.


	3. Chapter 3

“I've just got us a Fastpass for Flight of Passage - wanna go now?" Diana says over the roar of the coaster taking off in the other direction.

"After, yes. We're almost at the front," I reply, shifting my gaze around the room and seeing that mop of messy curls again. 

I couldn't believe, out of everywhere in this huge park, he'd managed to end up in the same place as us. Again. And not for the first time since the pool - I was starting to think he and his family were following us, even though that was as ridiculous as the sun rising in the west. I just couldn't shake the feeling that every time he was around it felt like a tickle at the back of my neck, a hint of recognition sparkling within me.

"Anne, stop staring already," Diana sighs from beside me, lifting her hand to tap my cheek and draw my attention away from where I'm watching him advance forward in the line. "You'd think you were spellbound by the way you look at him," Diana continues teasing with a laugh.

"Am not!" I cry, wrapping my arms across my chest as I scuff the floor with my shoe.

"Oh, come on! You keep looking at him with daggers in your eyes. But like, attractive daggers," she continues playfully.

"He called me 'Carrots', Di," I moan.

"Yeah, but - " 

"One with them," the ride staff interrupts, pointing Diana off after a group of riders. She goes and I'm left alone to watch as she buckles in and shoots me a bright thumbs up.

It's only another few moments before I'm tapped forward and following behind someone who snakes around and switches with a group in front, his hand pointing me towards a corral near the front. I round the final bars and stop short, eyes wide as I look up towards my shadow.

"Carrots!" He greets brightly as I scowl.

"You!" I grumble and push by as the barrier opens. Dropping into the seat I cross my arms over my chest and look off ahead, avoiding his attempts at interacting as I try to freeze him out of my existence.

"What are the chances of seeing you here?" He says as he settles in beside me. 

"It's a small place and the world is cruel," I grumble in return.

"Come on, it's the happiest place on earth! How can you be so upset?"

"Upset?" I bark, looking at him as he pulls the security bar down on our laps. "You come out of nowhere, insult me, and then continue to stalk me while I'm trying too enjoy myself and - "

"Well, wait just a minute there - I'm not stalking you. At all. And how did I insult you? I've barely said - "

"You keep calling me 'carrots'! Even though you know my first name is Anne! With an ‘E’! And - "

"Oh, I didn't - I'm sorry, I won't call you that again - "

"- you haven't even introduced yourself either - "

"Easy, I'm Gilbert Blythe - "

"Ready? On three," the ride worker calls and counts down, the car jerking forward abruptly as my argument dies in my lips. My hands grapple for the safety bar as we turn around the bend up ahead.

"Now that you know my name, why don't you tell me the rest of yours?" Gilbert continues as though the ride wasn't creeping up a mock Mount Everest and making my heart hammer in my chest.

"Please dear Providence, save me from myself and the - Oh god…" I moan and close my eyes as we reach the peak. The front of the car tilts over the edge and I swear aloud, gripping the bar and letting loose a feral scream as the ride takes off down the track.

We're twisted this way and that, through a dark tunnel where we're blasted with cold air before bursting back out into the bright Florida sun. I barely know what's happening - the conversation long forgotten - as we climb up another rise and see the tracks twisted overhead.

"But where…?" I gasp and look around for what's coming next, panic rushing through me as I see no exit. I hated sudden drops. I hated them with a passion that burned like a tar fire. "Oh no, oh dear, oh no," I mutter and sit back with my eyes closed, terrified of what comes next.

The fall backwards is abrupt and unexpected and the only thing tethering me to my seat is Gilbert's hand wrapped around mine, his matching shouts of exclamation ringing in my ear.

When we finally come to a stop I release my held breath, looking around me with wide eyes as I unclench my fist and straighten my mess of red hair in an attempt to hide my moment of fluster.

"You're an excellent roller coaster buddy, Anne…?" Gilbert says as the train pulls into the loading area. The bar lifts and for a second he just stares at me, his lips slightly open and his eyes searching mine.

"Sir, we need you to disembark," the operator calls and Gilbert seems to come back to himself, getting to his feet with a shot and reaching his hand down to help me out. 

"Well, this was nice," he says as he holds open the door to the gift shop for me. I enter the space and gasp as the air conditioning sends a shiver down my spine. "Perhaps I'll see you around again," he adds before looking over his shoulder at the man I'd seen him with at the pool.

"Maybe you will," I answer and scan the room for Diana, quickly finding her absorbed in the pins section.

"Bye Anne with an E," Gilbert says one last time and after a second of waiting for my lack of response, he turns and heads towards his group.

"Hey Gil," I call out, finding my voice as he stills and looks back towards me. "It's Shirley - Anne Shirley."

"Much better than a vegetable," he chuckles and smiles, my heart skipping as I grin back at him. 

Maybe it wasn't so bad to keep seeing him around.


	4. Chapter 4

"So where do you hail from, ladies?" Bash Lacroix asks as he looks up from where he's crouched over his stroller. Little Delphine coos and Diana sighs, looking over at Mary Lacroix and smiling widely.

"She is just so precious," Diana remarks, looking between the group we'd met on the bus this morning.

"We're from PEI but have been studying in Nova Scotia for the past few years. Diana is interested in Early Childhood Education so forgive her if she gets distracted by Dellie here," I add, watching with a wide smile as Diana plays peekaboo with the baby.

"Really? I have family out there. Almost moved back too when I wasn't sure if I was going to school in Toronto or not," Gilbert replies. 

"He still would, if he finished med school early and got a placement out there," Mary adds with a warm smile. I take to the woman's warmth easily, finding the first hints of a kindred spirit in her the more we talk.

From what we'd learned already in the line this morning, the trio were on their first trip to Disney to celebrate Gilbert's first year of school and Dellie's second birthday, the small mixed family having come together after bonding over hard times in the city. Mary and Bash had taken Gilbert in after his father died, giving him a place to call home until he could go off to school and in return Gilbert had been an uncle to the little girl, bringing her up like his own whenever they needed a helping hand. They were a tight knit group and I envied the family togetherness when Marilla and Matthew were still back home and so far away.

"How about you? What do you do in school?" Mary asks, leaning towards me.

"I'm studying English is all," I respond simply as Diana scoffs and stands up fully.

"Please! Anne is the smartest person in our class. She's starting her master's next year and is head of our student union. Plus she founded a local improvement society back home and is an advocate for better children's aid services. She won a major scholarship to fund her graduate program which is why we're here to celebrate," Diana finishes, out of breath as she sings my praises. I elbow her gently in the ribs, silently urging her to slow her accolades so I didn’t sound too impossible to exist.

"Uncle Gilly here sure knows how to shoot for the stars, doesn't he?" Bash chides playfully, holding his daughter's hand and smiling up at us.

I catch Gilbert's eye across the group and feel my cheeks heat, his smile only widening as he mouths 'sorry' my way.

When it's time to board the Millennium Falcon, Gilbert takes up the handles of the stroller and spins it on its wheels, heading out the exit as we're handed cards with our roles printed on them.

"Where's he going?" I ask as I look up from my card to watch him go. 

"Gilbert doesn't take well to motion sickness," Mary says with a chuckle, looking at each of our cards. Both hers and mine read 'pilot' and she grins up at me, raising her hand for a high five. "Looks like we're steering this ship!"

"Great," I answer, though it's anything but. I didn't do well with motion sickness either… and now I was doubting my ability to survive this ride if others were bailing. Maybe I should too.

Ten minutes later and I'm crashing the ship into the ground, nauseous and dizzy as I hobble out of the room. Pushing past everyone I make for the fresh air, falling against a droid garbage can and relinquishing my breakfast inside it. 

"Woah, easy there killer," Gilbert says from behind me, his large hand resting between my shoulder blades as I groan in embarrassment. "Guess the visuals were a bit intense?"

"I thought I was going to puke on the ride," I mumble as I finally stand up. Gilbert is already standing with a bottle of water open for me, a package of Gravol in his palm.

"I can see that. Take this and let's sit down," he instructs, placing the items in my palm and steering me towards where the stroller sits and the rest of the group has settled in the morning sun.

"You gonna be alright, Annie?" Bash asks, concern in his brow as he looks between us.

"I regret everything," I admit as Mary sighs and settles me down beside her. Diana joins me on my other side and pulls my hair back from my face and off my neck.

"It'll pass. The world is steady. Just remember how bad you felt on the ferry that one - " 

She barely gets her words out before I'm pushing away and clutching at the trashcan again, the memory hitting me like a tonne of bricks. The water that day had been particularly rough, in my defense.

By the time I'm finished and able to sit up straight again, the group has already disappeared in search of food, leaving me alone with Gilbert at my side. He continues to ply me with water, his gaze skating over me as I brush sweaty hair back from my face.

"Feel free to go get something to eat too," I grumble eventually, rubbing at my face and unable to meet his gaze.

"Funny enough, I don't have much of an appetite," he jokes and squeezes my shoulder.

"I'm sorry for that."

"Oh no, it's not you. While you guys were in there I got this ronto wrap thing and it had like two different kinds of meat and this spicy - "

"Nope, no," I interrupt, lifting my hand and grappling at him, my palm connecting with his face and tripping over his lips before he pulls it away. Where I expect him to drop my hands as soon as I'm clear of his space, he doesn't, instead linking his fingers with mine and turning towards me.

"Don't worry. It'll pass and you'll be back to eating every delicacy this side of the moon," he says with a chuckle, watching me with a steady gaze. 

"Thanks for this - for not being a dick while I'm sick, even after how rude I was to you before," I add with a smile, secretly enjoying the heat of his hands around mine.

"No problem. I figured it was only fair since I did compare you to a root vegetable," he replies softly.

We slip into a comfortable silence then, his thumb rubbing circles across the back of my hand as his body leans towards mine. My tongue darts out to wet my lips and I don't know what I'm thinking about doing when Diana clears her throat from beside me.

Was I really leaning in for a kiss? After puking for most of the morning? Who was this version of me and why did she lack the ability to think clearly when one Gilbert Blythe was in her presence? 

"I see you're feeling better," Diana chides, settling down beside me as I pull my hands from where they’ve settled in Gilbert’s lap. I shoot him an apologetic look and lean my head against my friend’s shoulder to curry favour with her and try to hide the growing closeness between Airport Man and myself. The last thing I needed was to fall for someone from another province in another country when I should be having the best time of my life.


	5. Chapter 5

We eat our way around the mock globe of Epcot, tasting everything we can fit in our bellies from the Holiday Feast and then relaxing under the hot sun as Diana, Bash and Mary test out all of the virtual reality rides that are available to them. By the time evening rolls around on our fourth day in the parks I find myself content, the growing camaraderie I feel with Gilbert and the Lacroix’s something I hadn’t expected from this trip. I know Diana feels it too - her friendship with Mary having bolstered over the sweet Dellie she dotes on like her own kin. 

By the time the weekend arrives, I'm ready to take a break and relish the idea of a vacation for a few hours by the pool. It’s not hard to convince the others and we order in take-out and eat and drink in the hot sun. 

“Did you want to go check out one of the resorts and get dinner with me tonight?” Gilbert asks as we walk back together from the lobby, our hands full of food from the cafeteria. 

“That would be cool. I’m assuming Bash wants to go to Sebastian’s at the Caribbean resort?” 

“Oh, I mean, maybe he does. But I was thinking just, um. The two of us, if you wanted,” he adds hastily as I stop and look up towards him. My mouth hangs open as he slows and turns to look at me, his smile hesitant. 

“Like - one on one?” I sputter, disbelief in my voice. Was he asking me on a date? In Disneyworld of all places? 

“Well, kinda yeah. Just the two of us. I thought maybe - It’s okay if not, I just - “ 

“No. I mean. Yes. I mean - that’s not clear at all. Yes. I’ll go to dinner with you,” I blurt and feel my cheeks heat, my feet starting to carry me forward with a clipped pace as we near the pool. 

The afternoon rushes by and when I tell Diana about the dinner back in our room she nearly collapses from excitement on my behalf. 

“Oh, Anne! If my Jerry were to have met me in Disneyworld I think we would already be married! This is so romantic! You absolutely must choose somewhere amazing - I’m going to start looking now!” She squeals and drops onto the bed. 

Two hours later and I’m brushing my hair frantically back from my face, trying to contain it as I ready for a night out. Diana has taken to assuring me - repeatedly - that she is dying for a night where she doesn’t have to do anything, her feet already propped up as she reclines in her bed. 

“Have fun. Make good choices,” she bids as I open the door to Gilbert’s knock. He looks fresh and bright, his eyes sparkling in the low light of the evening as he bids goodnight to Diana. 

“Where are we going?” I ask as we head past the pool and towards the lobby. Where I expect to head towards the buses, we instead veer towards the front entrance where Gilbert steers me into an Uber. 

“It’s a surprise,” he says as the driver leaves the round-about. We drive for almost ten minutes before turning into the Wilderness Resort, the treeline becoming dense as we head by campsites decorated with lights and beyond little cabins adorned with bows and puffs of smoke rising from the chimneys. 

Pulling up outside of a brightly lit restaurant that’s designed like a frontier-style western eatery dropped in a snow globe, I glance at Gilbert as he smiles wider and pulls open the door. Inside the waiter takes our names and settles us onto a bench with 20 other guests wearing their holiday best, all seats facing towards a stage with bright red curtains fluttering in the breeze. 

“What is this place?” I ask over the crowd’s noise, my senses trying to take in every detail, every delicious smell and sight. 

“Well what do we have here Otis?” A voice calls out around us before there’s a crash and a puff of smoke from the stage. 

“It’s dinner and a show. A Hoop-de-doo Musical Review,” he adds and I can’t help the laugh that escapes me, the idea so preposterous and yet so amazingly delightful that I couldn’t even have thought it up myself. 

The show is spectacular and the food delicious, my spirit running high as we finish our third drink and start heading out for the rest of the evening. To say the night was magical was an understatement. It had been amazing. Gilbert had been the perfect gentleman, funny and kind, smart and generous. Though I’d offered to go dutch, he wouldn’t hear of it, sneaking off to the till and paying before the check could even be brought to our table. 

When it was time to head home we crawl off of the benches with our bellies full, our cheeks red from the liquor and the laughter that had kept us occupied for hours. 

“What a show,” I sigh as we walk along the dirt road, heading in some direction that I’m not sure which. Not that it matters. I don’t want tonight to end. 

“It was pretty good. I’d hoped for something decent but that so much more then just time well spent. Good food, good entertainment, exceptional company…” He trails off and I spare a look towards him, enjoying the view of his profile in the moonlight. “What do you say we take the boat across to Magic Kingdom? We could probably catch the fireworks from the ferry, if we’re lucky...” 

I don’t hesitate to follow him across the road and down the pathways towards the water, willing to follow him anywhere he was ready to lead me. I couldn’t help but think about how quickly I was falling, how easy it all seemed to be in his presence and the way we fell into sync with one another once I gave him a chance to not be the bane of my existence. 

Gilbert Blythe had snuck up on me and now that he was here I didn’t want to let him go. Maybe it was the ease of life here, or the magic of everything surrounding us, but when we step onto the ferry and lean over the front rail to watch the castle light up in the distance I can’t help but lean into his side and relish the feel of him next to me. When the first firework cracks across the sky I turn to him and catch his gaze already on me, his fingers lifting up to brush the loose hair back from my face. 

He leans in first, hesitating a breath away from my lips, before I exhale and tug him towards me for a kiss that nearly knocks us overboard.


	6. Chapter 6

All of us spend the last few days together, revisiting our favourite places and getting as many Fastpasses as we can manage in the few hours we have left in the parks. It’s easy to be with Diana and the Lacroix’s, even easier to be with Gilbert whose light demeanor and quick-wittedness make the days seem brighter than they do at home. 

On our last night in the park it’s simple to get lost in the magic of everything, our minds spinning as we eat as much as we can and ride all of the rides just to feel the glow of happiness seep into our bones. 

“Are you ready for the fireworks?” Diana asks as we spill off of Space Mountain for the last time. 

“More than ready! Though the fireworks also mean it’s time to go home and I’m markedly not ready for that!” I answer and spin my friend around as we walk up the ramps. It was our last ride with just the two of us, our plans to meet up with Gil and company meaning these were the final moments we could soak in this trip together. “Did I tell you yet how happy I was that you came up with this idea, dearest Di?” 

“Only a few times,” she replies, slowing to link our arms together. “Did I mention how excited I am for you after this week? I know it’s not why you came here but it’s a lovely turn of events, wouldn’t you say?” Her words make me pause, the realization that going home also meant leaving the cocoon of Gilbert too. 

We hadn’t really talked about any of this. How could we have? It was only a blur of a week with so much to do and so much excitement and wonder and beauty there was no way I could have thought about returning to reality. But we’d have to, tomorrow, and I didn’t want to. 

“Oh, Di… It’s been such a bittersweet week. I’ve just met him only to say goodbye already. It was such a thrilling time and yet it’s over so soon!” I exclaim as she leads me towards the main entryway. 

“Well, yes, goodbyes will be had, but surely they don’t mean forever? You can keep in touch!” 

“I know, but it won’t be the same,” I lament as she sighs and pulls me closer. 

“Nothing back home is ever the same as Disney, darling. That’s why they call it the happiest place on earth - because the real world can’t hold you back here. But what they don’t talk about is that you can take the memories with you and create a new piece of happiness for yourself back home made just from them. Even if it doesn’t work out, you still have the memories you made and that’s what counts.” 

“When did you grow so wise?” 

“Right about the time you came into my life, I presume. Made all the difference,” she adds as we slowly come upon the group. I pull her in for a tight hug, holding my best friend close as I try to remember this moment in my mind. 

“How was space?” Gilbert asks as I lean against the railing and into his side. His arm comes around my hips and I pull his hand tighter, not wanting him to let go. 

“It was fine but I’m happier here just like this,” I admit and look up at him with a cheshire grin. 

“Me too. Hey - I was thinking, since you like writing and all, why don’t we try being pen pals when we get home? Would you be interested in trying that?” He questions just above a whisper, his breath tickling the side of my ear. 

“That sounds like an excellent idea, Gil,” I murmur and shift closer to him so his arm crosses my chest. 

Bound against him, I look up at the sky as the first burst of light shines overhead, the castle's Christmas lights flickering and shifting to display a story of hope, friendship, happiness and love. It seems fitting to end the week here, with new friends and new dreams. A nearly missed flight had lead to this moment and I couldn’t have timed it better. Magic had been spun around us all and whatever came next was bound to be another great adventure that we could face together.


End file.
